Couples Sleeping/Bedding Solutions?

RememberTheFallen

RememberTheFallen

Adventurist
What are your solutions for cozy, comfortable camping with your SO?

Have almost always camped by myself. Use an inflatable backpacking pad. Bought one for the GF also but planned on using that for backpacking.

Bought a fancy 10x10 tent, now looking for a comfortable sleeping set up.

Cots-my first option but the GF is complaining because she "can't cuddle up". The two person cot still has a bar in the middle that sorta separates you both. I will still buy a cot for camping by myself.

Inflatable Air Mattress- we have two separates ones we have inherited some how. Because of our weight difference I wind up with my shoulder and hip on the ground. Her side is super inflated and she rolls over on me. I weigh 260lbs, she weighs 130. Can't figure out a solution for this one other than some sort of baffled mattress that separates the air

Foam Topper-have a couple of cheap, foam egg crate and topper types foam pads I bought from Walmart. Used them in the back of my truck and they slept well but quickly became dirty. Couldn't find a suitable cover and was pretty large rolled up. Looking at spending a little more $$ and get a thicker single mattress topper but would have to find a cover to keep from it getting ruined by the dirt and the back of my truck.

Backpacking pads plus Foam Topper-would use the backpacking inflatable pads under a foam topper. The Thermarest DreamTime is sorta like that. Not paying $200 x2 though.

Well that is the four options I have looked. How are you all sleeping together with your significant other when you are car camping? Thanks for any ideas!

Joe

(standing by for Tango to ask me WTF this has to do with ....?) :D
 
I use a twin 4" memory foam topper in the back of the shell on a platform. Got it from Walmart for like $90, the GF loves it (as do i). But it really takes up some space. It can't be rolled, so the best it can do is double over on its self and its about 45lbs. Negatives aside though its almost more comfortable than the bed at home:) When your tired and sore from doing what ever its nice to be able to cuddle up and rest easy.
 
My wife and I have been through several setups over the years for ground tent sleeping, but have settled on the following:

2 of these: http://m.rei.com/mt/www.rei.com/product/778150/rei-camp-bed-25-self-inflating-pad
2 of these:
http://m.rei.com/mt/www.rei.com/product/795043/rei-pillow-stuff-sack
1 of these:
http://m.sportsmansguide.com/Product.aspx?a=194469

We also carry a queen size comforter that goes between the sleeping bag and the pads most of the time. The sleeping bag is huge, but it is key to both the padding as well as keeping us warm. If its super cold, comforter over the top with the wool blanket from the back seat of the 4Runner underneath, if its warm, sleeping bag becomes more padding and we sleep under the comforter. Wife has a fleece blanket for the cab of the truck that she doubles up with at night if she wants to be a little warmer.

This is the best overall sleeping arrangement that we have ever had. Same setup for every trip, so we keep it packed in the dry bags and ready to go all the time, except for the fleece and wool blankets, which live in the truck. The pillows are the only thing we have to secondary pack with our clothes for the trip.

Pads and pillows serve double duty when we take overnight hikes from the truck (although we use separate sleeping bags for backpacking).

The dry bag for the sleeping bag allows it to be carried as a backpack if we need to get a little ways away from the truck (necessary in some campgrounds or to get to that perfect tent spot). We always have a pack in the truck, so pads, pillows, and tent can be carried in or on the pack.

It's easy, versatile, and took us a while to refine to this level of awesome. I hope this gives you some good ideas.
 
Dolomite 3s double sleepingbag by the north face and 2 3.5inch self inflating rei pads. The pads are to die for, we actually just took them to my. Mother in laws house to sleep on the floor rather than in my wife's bed haha. I like when you buy stuff at rei and they tell you its not good for backpacking, I just tell them my backpack has four wheels and a v6.
 
glamisdude said:
I use a twin 4" memory foam topper in the back of the shell on a platform. Got it from Walmart for like $90, the GF loves it (as do i). But it really takes up some space. It can't be rolled, so the best it can do is double over on its self and its about 45lbs. Negatives aside though its almost more comfortable than the bed at home:) When your tired and sore from doing what ever its nice to be able to cuddle up and rest easy.
Click to expand...

How do you keep it clean?

Mr Leary and Travis. How do you keep your pads together? Do they not want to slide away from each other?

Thanks for the responses!
 
It stays clean since its on a platform, and we also use a sheet set on it from WalMart. When the sheet gets dirty from the trip it just gets washed. The mattress also has its own "bag" its kinda like a fabric zip up deal that can also be removed and washed.

Sent from my T7575 using Tapatalk
 
Not sure if you're familiar with Black Pine Sports but they have several sleeping bag options you may want to check out for car camping that seem like they'd work perfect (including several options for 2-person sleeping bags so you can share space with your spouse/significant other).

http://www.blackpinesports.com/sleeping-bags
 
We use the Teton Sports Celsius XL bags, Zip two together and done. It will handle anything short of the arctic circle :)

bag temp rating.jpg


Here's my full review of these bags:

http://americanadventurist.com/Foru...orts-Celsius-25-Sleeping-Bags&p=2401#post2401
 
Last edited:
We use the thick REI 3.5" sleeping pads for car camping. One of the benefits of these is that even if you get a puncture they still have plenty of open-cell foam to be comfortable anyway. I discovered a long cut in mine at the start of an 8-night trip! As it turned out, I was comfortable anyway, even when sleeping on gravel, so I didn't even bother patching it until I got home. I wish more of my equipment worked so well even when it failed!

For car camping we've used two big rectangular sleeping bags zipped together. The zipper finally broke on one, and I've been thinking it would be nice to replace them with a double-wide bag that compacts down into a single stuff sack rather than two. Still looking at options there.

For backpacking, and for the kid, we generally use thin sleeping pads and down mummy bags, sleeping apart. But if it's a short distance (like under 5 miles each way) we'll still use the thicker pads.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom